Five Themes Resource Overview:

General:

1. National Geographic Education Teacher's Homepage
   1. This is the beta site for the National Geographic Teacher's Page. In the future, more content will be present with the final site.
2. Library of Congress Geography Teacher's Resources
   1. The Library of Congress provides teachers with a list of great resources on their page. Each link brings something different to the table. I recommend you take some time to explore all the options present in this resource. Links include the go-to source for pure geographic data: the CIA World Factbook, the Library of Congress Country Studies program (a great research starter), links to geography in the news, cartograms, and even professional development.
3. Google Earth
   1. An interactive map created by Google. This program is any tech-savvy geography teacher's trump card. My personal favorite feature is the ability to create free-flying tours to discuss the geography of a new region at the beginning of a unit.
4. PBS Resource dump
   1. A very detailed, searchable page featuring all of PBS's Educational resources sortable and searchable by subject, type of resource (interactive, lesson plan, essay, resource set, etc.), and the program that the resource has derived from. This site is a fantastic way to add little gems of online interactivity to lessons or resource posts on your personal wiki.

• Location:
  • National Geographic Atlas Explorer
    • Includes numerous political, geographic, cultural, and historic maps as they appeared in "National Geographic" magazine. This site is definitely worth shifting through before starting each major unit to see if any of the gems present here can assist.
  • For Pennsylvania Unit:

• Place:
  • Pennsylvania:
    • The Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geological Study
      • Contains a database of topographic and geological maps (such as shale resources), tables of geological data, and a teacher's section with links to lesson plans and other helpful resources.
  • United States:
    • United States Geological Survey
      • A link to the federal government's United State's Geological Survey--a program designed to create "reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life."
    • Census Bureau
      • Census Bureau: Geography Specific Resources
    • Map Maker
      • The National Atlas website allows the user to create their own customized map. Includes features such as population, cities, transportation features, water features, and interesting statistical maps.
• Human-Environment Interaction
  • Pennsylvania
    • Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District: Locks, Dams, and the Port of Pittsburgh
      • Information on an important aspect of our regional interactions with the environment: the locks and dams on our three rivers that contribute to our importance as an inland port.
  • United States
    • examples
      • Gulf Coast Oil Spill Lesson ideas and resources
        • Resources pertaining to and lesson ideas for the coverage of the 2010 Deepwater Horizons oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
      • Crazy, extreme examples from Discovery's "Mega Engineering" TV show
        • `These more extreme examples of engineering the world around us create vivid examples of the power that people possess over the world around them and the impact we have on our world.
      • PBS Video on the history of the Hoover Dam
        • A documentary from the PBS series "American Experience" detailing the history of the Hoover Dam. The video is almost a full hour in length. It is recommended to only show a clip to illustrate the geographic impact of the project.
• Movement
  • Pennsylvania:
    • Movement at home: The North Shore Connector
      • Information from Penndot concerning the new North Shore Connector. This new light rail project in Pittsburgh serves to discuss movement and also human-environment interaction.
  • United States:
    • United States Department of Transportaiton
      • Links pertaining to the inner workings of the United States Department of Transportation. The most useful resources would be the numerous data spreadsheets on each individual administration's web page. For example, traffic density can be tracked by region on the Federal Highway Administration page.
• Region
  • Pennsylvania:
    • ExplorePAHistory.com: A site sponsored by the state government that features information and links to more information about the eight cultural and geographic regions of our state
  • United States:
    • Census Regional Divisions
      • A simple map that shows and defines the major regions of the United States and their respective sub-regions as defined by the United States Census bureau.

Places to Apply Five Themes to:

• Pennsylvania (Hampton then to all PA)
• United States and Canada
• Middle and South America
• Eastern and Western Europe
• Russia and Northern Eurasia
• Southwest Asia
• Africa
• East and Southeast Asia
• South Asia
• The Pacific World and Antarctica

More ideas for lessons

• Cultural connections for each of the places
• Current events
• Possible ways to connect with other students from these places
• video resources
• IPAD Apps
• Lesson ideas

Also organize site by the places...for student resources and teacher resources (create separate portals)